Chaos unfolds - Tom Pidcock reacts to INEOS removing him from Lombardia: "I guess off season starts early"
Cycling
Over this past week Tom Pidcock and INEOS Grenadiers' future has been questioned quite a lot, after it has been revealed that there are talks about a possible departure towards Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team. There may a whole truth behind this rumour, because INEOS Grenadiers have taken him out of Il Lombardia and the Briton is clearly frustrated with the situation.
It came as a shock. The official startlist for the final monument of the season was revealed and in the INEOS lineup was Ethan Hayter instead of Pidcock. The Briton, the biggest earner in the British team, has not had the best of relations with the team and this was specially clear when before the Tour de France he indicated that he would have the role he wanted. Ultimately he abandoned the race without getting a win and didn't play a supportive role for Carlos Rodríguez.
However he did win Amstel Gold Race and the Olympic MTB title this year, so although on the road he did not evolve in terms of performances, he continued to be a headliner for INEOS and Great Britain. He recently finished second at the rainy Giro dell'Emilia behind Tadej Pogacar and was expected to lead the team in Lombardia, a race that suits him relatively well.
Surprisingly, he was not part of the startlist. Minutes later INEOS would share on Twitter a post with the team's lineup and in a matter of a few minutes Pidcock reacted to this decision in an Instagram post. His words make it clear that this was not a personal decision, and that he absolutely intended on racing the Italian monument where he was a clear contender for the podium.
His message was the following: "Just as things were on the up after a turbulent end to the year I am deselected for Lombardia tomorrow. I am in great shape and was really looking forwarded to it! Good luck to the boys, I guess off season starts early. Thanks for everyone’s support even in the tough times".
With Cummings’ snub from the Tour and Luke Rowe moving to AG2R (amongst everything else), it’ll be fascinating to someday learn what’s been happening at Ineos. Surely not just being massively dethroned by UAE and Visma. Tom’s role in this, either affecting the situation there or effected by it, is interesting. Regardless of Ineos and Tom / Tom and Ineos, I can’t help but think that Tom’s situation is going to follow him for the rest of his road career. His Mtb and CX palmarès are incredible, especially for someone his age, but he’s not Wout or MvDP, and his road palmarès don’t remotely qualify him to be be in the same conversation as them or anyone else in the leadership/backup leadership position on road teams. Tom has proven he’s not a leader or a teammate, and doesn’t have the results for either to be OK. Unless he realizes that he has nothing left to prove in MTB but literally everything to prove on the road, his road career is done.
Heck, he’s not even Remco right now, who seems to be proving he can re-invent himself for the good of all and maybe allow a team to be built around him ;-)
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